Long ago a kind sage found a frightened little mouse （老鼠） running from a cat. Feeling compassion, the sage used his power to turn the mouse into a strong cat. But then a dog chased the cat, so the sage turned it into a dog. When a tiger frightened the dog, the sage made it into a tiger. At last, to give the creature a peaceful life, he turned the tiger into a man.
The man lived well — but slowly an unkind thought grew in his mind: “I am better than the sage. Without him I would still be powerful. I do not need to be grateful.” The thought became pride, and the pride became cruelty. The man even wished harm upon the very sage who had saved him.
Seeing the harm inside the man’s heart, the sage said gently, “You have forgotten kindness — so you may return to what your heart has become.” In a moment the man was a small mouse again. One bad thought, left to grow, had cost him everything. This is why we practice Ahimsa in the mind: we notice an unkind thought early, breathe, and wash it away before it grows. We choose to be the master of our thoughts.